Abstract

District heating plays an important role in future sustainable energy system by integrating any available heat source, including waste heat and renewable heat sources such as geothermal or solar heat. The low-temperature district heating system is the latest generation of district heating. It was introduced less than ten years ago in adaption to the need for lower heat demand of energy-efficient buildings. The low-temperature district heating system provides an infrastructure for a higher share of renewable energy sources while reduces heat loss in pipes. Several small-scale projects were commissioned since the introduction of the technology, and many existing district heating systems are in the process of adaptation. The recent progress of low-temperature district heating systems has been discussed here. First, the fundamental knowledge that is required to understand the main advantages of a low-temperature district heating system was explained briefly. Then the most recent and important projects were discussed with emphasis on solar and geothermal district heating systems. The results of case studies show that the low-temperature solution has the lowest capital costs and has a unique position to be the primary source for building heating demand.

Highlights

  • The heating in residential and commercial buildings has been provided by individual systems such as furnaces and boilers

  • In a recent review article [5], Buffa et al studied more than forty District Heating (DH) systems that belong to the 5th generation

  • This article described the state of the art of several existing Low-Temperature District Heating (LTDH) systems

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Summary

Introduction

The heating in residential and commercial buildings has been provided by individual systems such as furnaces and boilers. By centralizing the heating in larger systems, it is possible to supply many buildings from one or more sources, such as Combined Heat and Power (CHP), Waste-toEnergy (WtE), and Renewable Energy Sources (RES). District heating systems have been evolving with a trend towards lowering supply temperatures and introducing different energy sources. Studies revealed that the 4th or 5th generation of district heating systems, along with thermal storage, is more feasible, fuel-efficient, and cheaper than individual solutions in areas with high urban density [4, 5]. In a recent review article [5], Buffa et al studied more than forty DH systems that belong to the 5th generation Most of these reviewed cases use shallow geothermal or groundwater as the heat source. Aspects of cost-effective largescale seasonal thermal energy storage for LTDH systems have been studied by Ochs et al as part of the gigaTES4 initiative [36]. The planning and development of seasonal thermal storage require a comprehensive study to identify the project cost

Geothermal
Distribution network
Topography and controlling strategies of the network
Findings
Summary

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